Things Unsaid
by ErinM
Summary: They've never needed words to understand each other, which is part of the problem. *post-A Night at the Movies Episode 319


**Title**: Things Unsaid  
**Author**: Erin (erinm_)  
**Characters, Pairing**: Grissom and Catherine  
**Rating**: PG  
**Summary**: They've never needed words to understand each other, which is part of the problem.  
**Warning**: post-_A Night at the Movies_ (Episode 319) *Written for Round 10 of prompt_in_a_box at LiveJournal. Prompt: "**If only I had been listening.**" (_Between the Lines_, Sara Bareilles)  
**Disclaimer**: The original characters belong to CBS and the Bruckster.

"What do you like?" Catherine asked Grissom.

He simply looked at her for a moment and replied: "I like silent movies." He turned back to the screen, but could feel Catherine's eyes on him. She stared at him for a moment in surprise.

She wasn't really expecting him to answer with action or comedy, but, silent?

Half a second later, the light bulb clicked and Catherine's hand moved to her mouth before she'd even realized she had reacted. He couldn't seriously be telling her what she thought he was telling her, could he?!

Not Grissom...

The sound of surprise from Catherine actually made Grissom jump; he'd not been caught off-guard more than a handful of times, but the tone of her reaction got to him.

With and almost guilty expression, Grissom slowly turned to his best friend. He couldn't avoid her eyes, and those were the only thing he didn't want to see. He didn't want pity from anyone, especially Catherine. When he finally looked at her in resignations, Grissom saw anything but pity.

Giving himself a mental smack, Grissom remembered that he'd known Catherine Willows far too long to get pity; she knew too much about him for that. He knew, at her gasp, that his remark had a much deeper effect than just a buried hint. With Catherine, nothing was buried, or subtle, for that matter.

After all, she was an investigator.

Suddenly, a pang of guilt washed over Grissom for waiting this long to tell her and his eyes returned to the screen, hoping to avoid the coming conversation as long as possible. Catherine also looked back to the screen, but didn't see the movie.

Instead, her memories flashed by, one by one, of all the subtle hints over the last few months. All the strange behavior, Grissom passing cases off to the "kids", his music louder than usual, looks, comments, silence...

How could it have taken her this long? Why didn't he say anything? She was supposed to be his best friend, damnit! Every time he coaxed a confession of sorts out of her - from Eddie to Ecklie - and he didn't feel like it might be his turn to fess up?!

Granted, she knew Grissom wasn't exactly one to share, but still...

Catherine was so busy stewing that she didn't realize the movie had ended until the theater was almost empty. Grissom made no effort to move from his seat and watched Catherine from the corner of his eye. She watched as a theater employee moved to the front of the room and began to pick up empty cups and popcorn tubs, but she didn't say a word.

Grissom couldn't take the silence anymore, ironically. "Cath..." Wanting to avoid the conversation - mad never fit her well - Catherine reached for her drink and stood up.

"Good movie," she said before moving along the row toward the aisle. Grissom was hot on her trail, but didn't catch up to her until she was already in the lobby, throwing away the cup. He caught Catherine's arm and pulled her back.

"Cath-" he stopped short, rearing back at the look on her face. She was mad - and had every right to be - but this was _his_ problem, not hers. "Cath, I'm sorry. I didn't want you to find out like this."

"What?" Catherine fumed. "You wanted to wait until God knows when so you couldn't hear me call you every name in the book? Damnit, Gil... I though I was your friend," she sighed, throwing her hands up.

"Catherine," Grissom frowned. "-don't be so dramatic." Well, _that_ was the wrong thing to say.

"Dramatic? You want dramatic?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and piercing glare.

"No," Grissom flustered.

"How long," Catherine demanded.

"What?"

"How long have you known?" she amended, crossing her arms and continuing to glare.

There was no right way to answer this one. "A few months." At the look on her face, he sighed. "Seven."

Catherine reacted as if she'd just been slapped in the face; she couldn't do more. Shaking her head sharply, Catherine turned away from Grissom and hurried out of the building. She was two storefronts down when Grissom called after her.

"Catherine, stop!" With a heavy sigh, she did stop, but refused to face him. She blinked back the forming tears and stared at the sidewalk as Grissom stepped around her. Just as she could stare him down, Grissom could get Catherine to blink. "I wanted to tell you," he said quietly.

Catherine looked up and opened her mouth, but Grissom stopped her. "But I didn't know how... I'm still... trying to understand; to accept it, and I just..." He knew that no excuse would fly with her and he was better off simply stopping there.

"I'm sorry," he said simply, looking at his shoes. "I didn't want to tell you until I knew how to say it." For letting this burden go, he didn't feel any lighter. In fact, it felt like a ton of bricks was slowly pushing him down. Catherine stared at him - well, the top of his head - as she let his words sink in.

She'd never thought of this scenario - and she'd had a few running for a while now. Grissom? Deaf? How was this going to affect work? Them? Catherine was surprised at the muteness of her own voice as she spoke.

"What are you gonna do?" Grissom composed himself and looked up to Catherine. His best friend, his confidante, his... Catherine. Shrugging, Grissom shoved hi hands in his pockets.

"Retire, I guess."

Catherine scoffed. "Yeah, right!" Grissom gave her an 'excuse me?' look. "I've never know you to back down from anything. And if you think I'm gonna let you hole up and feel sorry for yourself..." Catherine choked back the teas with a laugh. "Over my dead body."

Suddenly, Grissom was angry. What right was it of hers to order him? "It's not your problem, Catherine." He pushed past her, walking down the street with a huff.

Re-enter the just-slapped reaction. Catherine figured she'd let him get just a few more steps in before she gave him what for. Grissom watched as the cars zipped past and was suddenly pulled back. Catherine shoved him toward the building and pointed menacingly.

"How dare you! After all the times you've made me tell you what's wrong. All the times you wouldn't leave me be to get through my problems." Catherine shook her head. "You made me talk it out, every damn time. There is no way in Hell I'm letting you get off that easy." Catherine shook her head and looked away for a moment, then reared back at the look on Grissom's face.

"Why are you smiling?"


End file.
